Latest

Canberra Doesn’t Suck

Hold on to your hats. It’s time to let go of the stereotypes and embrace the NEW Canberra. It’s fantastic, and it’s finally being recognised. It’s not just Adelaide’s that’s growing up!

Hold on to your hats. It’s time to let go of the stereotypes and embrace the NEW Canberra. It’s fantastic, and it’s finally being recognised. It’s not just Adelaide’s that’s growing up!

Today leading global travel authority Lonely Planet has named Canberra one of the world’s Top 10 Cities for next year in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2018.

Best in Travel 2018 is Lonely Planet’s 13th annual agenda-setting collection of the world’s hottest destinations, experiences and trends for the year ahead. The best-selling inspirational travel yearbook highlights the top 10 cities, countries and regions that Lonely Planet’s experts recommend travellers experience in 2018.

Canberra is ranked third on the book’s list of Top 10 Cities 2018.

“Criminally overlooked Canberra packs a big punch for such a small city,” writes Lonely Planet’s Chris Zeiher. “National treasures are found round almost every corner and exciting new boutique precincts have emerged, bulging with gastronomic highlights and cultural must-dos. This is the first year that Canberra’s picturesque Manuka Oval will host an International Test cricket match, providing sporting fans the perfect excuse to visit Australia’s federal capital. Later in 2018 the Australian War Memorial will take centre stage as it hosts the 100th anniversary of the WWI Armistice.”

“Revitalised precincts such as NewActon and Braddon best illustrate Canberra’s new lease of life,” Chris continues. “The deliciously decorated Hotel Hotel in NewActon is the epitome of new Canberra style, with materials such as reclaimed wood evoking the Australian landscape. NewActon is also home to A Baker, where the five-course ‘Just Feed Me’ and ‘Just Wine Me’ selections offer a perfect array of locally sourced produce and wine. Meanwhile, a brilliant blend of pop-up shops and lively cafes are sprinkled along Lonsdale Street in boutique Braddon.”

Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Cities 2018 are:

1. Seville, Spain
2. Detroit, USA
3. Canberra
4. Hamburg, Germany
5. Kaohsiung, Taiwan
6. Antwerp, Belgium
7. Matera, Italy
8. San Juan, Puerto Rico
9. Guanajuato, Mexico
10. Oslo, Norway

Canberra can now also be found on Lonely Planet’s Guides app – a trustworthy, free-of-charge travel companion that helps travellers find sights, cafes, shops and accommodation at the touch of a button.

Australian destinations and attractions are also featured on five of the book’s other top lists for 2018, including:

Best New Places to Stay

3) Thousand Lakes Lodge, Tasmania

“The chance to explore the rugged and isolated beauty of the UNESCO-listed Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area is now a step closer, thanks to this freshly opened lodge. Transformed from a former training facility for Antarctic expeditions, the nine-room Thousand Lakes Lodge is an incredibly welcoming (and warming) place to base yourself for hiking, fishing, mountain biking and wildlife watching on the beautiful highland plains.”

Best Culture Trips for Families

9) Brisbane, Australia: “For a taste of the uber-relaxed, outdoorsy, barbecue-loving culture that is quintessentially Australian, a trip to Brisbane hits the right notes for those with kids. Splash around on man-made Streets Beach (perfect for small swimmers) or let off steam in the tree-house playground at New Farm Park. Relax with a BBQ in the riverside South Bank Parklands before checking out koalas at nearby Lone Pine Sanctuary. For a taste of ancient Australian culture, there’s Aboriginal art in the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), which runs sessions for children.”

Destination Races

10) Australian Outback Marathon, Northern Territory: “Go ‘walkabout’ in the Australian outback at this marathon in the shadow of legendary Uluru. The relatively flat course is along the area’s red dirt fire access trails, though the occasional sand dune will put a dent in your stride (as will views of Kata Tjuta and Uluru).”

Top-Five Travel Trend: Exploratory Cruises

The Kimberley, Western Australia: “Set sail with Zegrahm Expeditions to glimpse iconic creatures – from giant crocodiles to skittish wallabies – in one of Australia’s wildest regions.”

Top-Five Travel Trend: Cross-Generational Travel

Great Ocean Road, Victoria: “Take it in turns behind the wheel (or back-seat driving) on a spectacular coastal road trip.”

Lonely Planet’s writers and experts spend time on the road in almost every destination on the planet, and each year they report which destinations are set to take off, offering travellers the best experience available. The destinations selected for Best in Travel meet specific criteria. It could be that something special is going on in the year ahead, or there’s been recent development and a lot of buzz about the place; that it offers travellers new things to see or do; or that the Lonely Planet team of experts thinks it’s been overlooked and underrated and suggests travellers visit before the crowds do.

Other Best in Travel 2018 highlights include:

  •  The Top 10 Countries to visit in 2018: Chile, South Korea, Portugal, Djibouti, New Zealand, Malta, Georgia, Mauritius, China, and South Africa
  • The Top 10 Regions to visit in 2018: Belfast & the Causeway Coast, Northern Ireland; Alaska, USA; Julian Alps, Slovenia; Languedoc-Roussillon, France; Kii Peninsula, Japan; Aeolian Islands, Italy; Southern USA; Lahaul & Spiti, India; Bahia, Brazil; and Los Haitises National Park, Dominican Republic

Deciding what to include in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel annual selection is a considered process involving the whole of Lonely Planet’s community: from its writers and editors all the way to its online family of bloggers and tweeters. Each year, they come up with hundreds of places that are not to be missed. These are then whittled down by a panel of in-house travel experts who shortlist in line with criteria such as topicality, excitement and wow-factor.

www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel features all of the Best in Travel 2018 destinations and additional advice on visiting them. Four videos accompany each of the number one destinations to reveal why they were selected the top spots for travel in 2018; all captured using GoPro equipment by Lonely Planet’s experts on the road. Travellers can also enter a My Best in Travel video competition via the website to win return flights for two to the number one country Chile and a GoPro Hero6 Black provided by this year’s sponsor, GoPro.

RELATED ARTICLES

Travel: Canberra Gin Bar The Tipsy Bull Hits The Mark

Travel: Lazy Su’s Korean Japanese Fusion Dining in ‘Canberra

Travel: Canberra’s Newest Hot Spot, Kokomo’s

Travel: Is This Canberra’s Most Instagrammable Breakfast?

 

More News

To Top